The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has explained why he did not take up the position of Director-General of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign.

Wike said he was not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was unwilling to accept a role that could put his political standing in Rivers State at risk.

He spoke on Saturday after inspecting the Apo-Karshi Road and the Kubwa-Bwari Road in Abuja.

His comments came shortly after the Presidency announced former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, as the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election.

Wike argued that political relevance should be measured by the ability to deliver electoral victories rather than by the position held in a campaign organisation.

“Political relevance is not about the position you hold in a campaign. What matters is your ability to deliver your state. We have seen campaign DGs in the past who went on to lose their own states,” he said.

The former Rivers State governor cited several politicians who lost their states after leading presidential campaigns.

According to him, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi lost Rivers State while serving as campaign Director-General for former President Muhammadu Buhari, while former Senate President Bukola Saraki lost Kwara State and his Senate seat after leading Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign in 2019.

He also mentioned former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal and former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, saying both lost their states after serving as campaign directors-general during the 2023 elections.

Wike said he was therefore unwilling to take such a risk, adding that his priority was to help secure victory for Tinubu in both Rivers State and the FCT.

He maintained that serving as campaign Director-General would have little significance if the person was unable to deliver victory in his home state.

Wike also said the possibility of heading the APC Presidential Campaign Council did not arise because he is not a member of the party.

“I am not a member of APC. So the issue of their Presidential Campaign Council is out of the question,” he said.

Despite remaining outside the APC, Wike reiterated his support for Tinubu’s re-election bid, recalling that he supported the President’s emergence in 2023 without being a member of the APC.

“When we were fighting for the President to be president in 2023, we were not members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, but we were fighting. We had our own strategies on how the President would emerge,” he said.

Wike said his support for Tinubu is now being coordinated through what he called a Rainbow Coalition, comprising politicians from different parties who are working for the President’s re-election while retaining their membership of their respective parties.

He said the coalition was already active in states including Kwara, Bayelsa, Rivers, Osun and Benue.